Opposition, industry call for COVID plan clarity

The state opposition and sections of the business community have criticised the state government’s “skeleton” of a COVID-19 transition plan, with Western Australia still without a date for the reopening of borders.

Under the plan, released by Premier Mark McGowan this morning, a transition date will be released in early to mid-December, when the state is due to reach 80 per cent double dose vaccination rate for those aged 12 and over.

The reopening of interstate and international borders is expected to begin between late January and early February, when the state is due to reach a 90 per cent vaccination rate.

At that time, capacity limits would be reintroduced for various venues and proof of vaccination would be required for entry to nightclubs, casinos and major events.

State opposition leader Mia Davies was among the first to criticise the plan, arguing that it should have included a set date for reopening to give businesses greater certainty, as had been done in every other state.

“The Premier has had nearly two years to prepare and plan to reopen WA to the rest of the world, but what we see here is a skeleton of a roadmap,” she said.

“Businesses around WA still have no clarity around what date they need to work towards to be prepared for the introduction of restrictions, and the potential introduction of capacity limits. 

“We are competing with other states for staff, investment and visitation and the lack of a definitive date puts us on the back foot yet again.”

Like Ms Davies, Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall raised concerns about the lack of clarity, saying that every day without a date left tourism businesses at a disadvantage to other states in the recruitment of staff and attracting visitors.

He warned the state’s tourism businesses would need financial support if they were to survive another holiday period without interstate and international arrivals.

“By February, Perth tourism businesses will have endured close to two years of international border closures,” Mr Hall said.

“Almost three more months without customers is a long time for businesses without an income.

“These businesses will need financial support to pay wages, rent, insurance and other costs to remain operational.”

Just days after the company reported a $64 million loss, Perth Airport chief executive Kevin Brown welcomed the plan's release and said the airport team would work with government to flesh out the finer details of the plan.

He, too, said there was still work to be done on the "nuts and bolts" of the plan, but was hopeful the removal of border restrictions would also result in the removal of G2G requirements.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief executive Chris Rodwell welcomed the release of the plan, having been behind the push for guidance on the reopening of the economy for more than a year.

But Mr Rodwell said the WA community and government needed to do all it could to supercharge vaccination rates, bring forward the opening date and allow businesses access to much-needed skills sooner.

“Every day that passes is another day that local businesses continue to suffer from crippling skill shortages, disruptions to supply chains, and in which sectors like events and tourism are cut off from their customers,” he said.

“In this context, the chamber looks forward to working closely with the government to advance a range of measures to ensure industry quickly and safely access the workers that they need. 

“With WA behind other states in its reopening, it's also vital that in coming years the government sends strong signals and undertakes appropriate investment in tourism, transport and trade and investment.”

Mr Rodwell also pushed for continued consultation with the business community as the plan is recalibrated, highlighting that measures like the application of the PCR test had the potential to dent the state’s prospects of rebuilding its tourism and hospitality industry.